Henry County dog stabbed in the face, survives

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. -- A Henry County dog is recovering from a brutal case of animal cruelty that left a switchblade lodged in his face.

WARNING: PHOTOS ABOVE ARE GRAPHIC

"It was horrible," the dog's owner Jakie Cross said. "I wish my son never had to see that."

Cross says her 11-year-old son discovered the family dog - a Rottweiler mix named 'Girl' - on the porch Tuesday morning before school. Someone had stabbed the dog in the face with such force that the knife lodged in the animal's snout mere inches from its eye.

"I don't know who could do that to an animal," Cross said.

Cross rushed the injured animal to Mallards Landing Veterinary Hospital about five miles away. The vet was able to dislodge the knife and close the wound. The dog is expected to make a full recovery.

The Cross family says they don't know if the dog interrupted a would-be burglar or if someone has a vendetta against the family.

A spokesman for Locust Grove Police say detectives have forwarded the knife to the G.B.I. to be tested for fingerprints and DNA.

A viewer called 11Alive to say Cross is having difficulty paying the veterinary bills from Girl's surgery. Anyone who would like to help cover the cost can called Mallards Landing Veterinary Hospital at 770-957-3220 for more information.